The stall was located on the front lawn facing the Quadrangle close to the former USU Welcome Fest Main Stage. The incident occurred shortly after 1PM and involved a contractor hired for Welcome Week.
Following the event, a significant area in front of the Quadrangle flanking the Great Hall was cordoned off by NSW Police and Campus Security. The injured student was then driven by ambulance to hospital for treatment.
Welcome Fest ended last Friday with record numbers of students attending the three-day event following increases in funding announced late last year.
It is yet to be determined what caused the collapse or if the collapse was a result of any negligence on behalf of either the USU or the University.
In a statement, USyd expressed concerns for the injured student.
“Our main priority is the safety and wellbeing of all our students and staff. We were very concerned to hear about an incident that occurred at the Quadrangle,” a University spokesperson said.
“Emergency services responded quickly and the injured student has been taken to hospital. Our incident response team is on-site and SafeWork NSW has been notified.”
Since the statement, Honi has received confirmation that the student has been discharged from hospital and is now recovering at home.
In response, SRC Welfare Officers Grace Wallman and Eamonn Murphy said that the incident should be thoroughly investigated, with students’ future health and safety prioritised.
“Student safety always needs to be put first. The Welfare Action Group welcomes an investigation into the incident and hopes that proper accountability is taken.”
